44

The Hunter authority will be dissolved?

Interesting… That put a smile on my face.

“What do you mean?”

“There’s no hidden meaning in it. That’s what it literally means.”

“Literally?”

“Yes, literally.”

Jang Hyeok paused for a bit and looked around; then he whispered so that only I would be able to hear his words.

“After all, ROKHA is a member of the Huner authority. If they hear about the authority’s disorganization, then they may feel confused. But soon, the authority will be dissolved.”

“Can I take that as Ko-gu-Rea guild’s intention?”

Hyeok shook his head. “We are not powerful enough to do that, but the flow will eventually lead to the authority’s disorganization.”

I guess that was how the world was rolling. I kept that in mind.

After a while, another man approached us from behind. He was short and skinny but filled with compact muscle.

Usually, the named assassins in Valhalla had that body shape. While I was observing him, he stretched out his hand to offer me a handshake.

“It’s a rather late introduction, but I’m Han Seong-Tae, the president of Ko-gu-Rea guild.

He was rather old, probably in his fifties, if I had to guess.

“I’m Lee Hwan, supervisor of ROKHA.”

“You are as handsome as your brother. In fact, you are even more attractive than him.”

“Thank you for your compliment.”

My first impression of him was not all that bad.

“So, have you been acquainted with Hyeok?”

“I suppose that’s how it went. Haven’t you heard of it?”

“Ah, I did. Let me see…”

He looked around and pointed at So-Eun. “Ah, there she is. She was the one we tried to recruit.”

Then he faced me, smiling. “I thought that what we offered was reasonable.”

“But it’s not enough.”

“Hm?”

“What’s with all the money? If you die before using it all, then it’s just useless.”

Mr. Han burst out laughing. “That’s right! I like you! Oh, son… Can I call you that?”

“Do as you wish.”

“Oh, great. You are a handsome and kind man. Say, you got a girlfriend?”

Before I could even answer, Hyeok hit Mr. Han’s shoulder, his face saying that he was tired of hearing what the older man was about to say.

“Do you really have to say that? She is just nine years old.”

“Don’t you get that this is some sort of strategy? We can form a relationship with this man!”

“I don’t get that. Mr. Lee, please ignore what this old man is saying. You don’t have to do that.”

These two did seem to be very close. That put a smile on my face. I like relationships like these; it feels more human.

Then, Mr. Han turned to me. “Oh, I also heard that you went missing for ten years.”

“I was.”

“How was the gate inside? I know that you cleared an irregular gate.”

“That was me indeed. The gate was quite easy, to be honest.”

“Great. Would you like to join us in clearing this gate?”

Mr. Han asked me with a smile. I turned my head and looked at Jeong Gi-Hoon beside me. He shrugged his shoulders and whispered.

“I think that would be better for you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It’s better for you to check the other gates as well. It would be a good experience for you.”

“Am I allowed to go?”

“Of course. Don’t you know that?”

I didn’t know.

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t have asked.”

Gi-Hoon smiled awkwardly and stepped back. Mr. Han, after observing our conversation, burst out laughing.

“Gi-Hoon, long time no see.”

“It’s been a while, sir.”

“You can talk to me informally, though I appreciate your politeness. How’s your injured arm?”

“It’s alright now, but that became one of the reasons why I hate rain.”

I guess they were talking about something that happened in the past.

Gi-Hoon noticed that I was out of the loop, and he came closer to explain.

“Don’t you remember what I told you?”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“There’s only one SS-rated Hunter in this country, but there are nineteen S-rated Hunters. Your brother, as you know, is the only SS-rated Hunter.”

I did recall hearing that from Gi-Hoon, but I didn’t really listen carefully.

“I’m the ninth strongest among the S-rated Hunters, and Mr. Han is the strongest.”

The strongest S-rated Hunter. That meant that he was right next to Ho. That was interesting. I had sensed that the man was in between Gi-Hoon and my brother in power, but I didn’t expect that he was the second strongest Hunter in Korea.

To explain his strength, I could tell that he could easily handle a black orc king.

Well, shall I observe him?

I turned my head toward So-Eun and Ee-Na. I guess I could give them a day off. If this gate was weaker than what my brother cleared, then it would definitely be done in a day.

I called them over and told them to take a rest today. They understood me, so there was no further issue.

“Well, shall we go?”

And that was how I went inside the S-rated gate with the Ko-gu-Rea guild. I waved my hand at Gi-Hoon, gesturing for him to come with me. He didn’t understand what I meant.

“Why are you just standing there?”

“You mean me…?”

“Yes, you. Didn’t you tell me that we were inseparable once?”

“Um… Are we that close?”

“Don’t come if you don’t want to.”

Gi-Hoon chuckled and came after me immediately. That was why I liked this guy.

“Those were sugar-coated words.”

“I know. Just take it as a compliment.”

We exchanged smiles before he approached Mr. Han.

“How much will you pay for our supervisor’s help? I know that you are aware of his value.”

That was surprising. Is that the same Gi-hoon I know?

“Are you his representative? I thought you were busy today. I heard the Cheon-Myeong guild was going to an A-rated gate today.”

“Don’t change the topic. According to Hunter’s law, if you want to hire someone as a mercenary, you must pay them…”

“Enough. I will pay the amount he wants. I know that he has the strength of at least an S-rated Hunter. I’m not the type of man who will exploit someone.”

“I know you are a trustworthy person, sir, but I’m just saying that you need to make that clear.”

Mr. Han burst into laughter and began a conversation with Gi-Hoon. After a while, they managed to strike a deal.

I was just planning to observe what was inside this gate, but now, I was getting $3,000 for it. No wonder why Cheon-Myeong wanted Gi-Hoon as the next leader of the secretary team. His negotiation skills went way above my expectations.

I took note to cook some food for him later.

Those were my thoughts as we entered the S-rated gate.

***

Lee Ho quietly held his teacup. Things were going better than he had imagined.

He took a sip and carefully placed the cup on the table.

There were two men sitting on the sofa in front of him. One was Yoo Tae-Hwan, the chief secretary of Korea’s president, and next to him was Park Jeong-Hwan, the prosecutor general.

Of the three people in the room, Lee Ho was the one with the most confidence.

After reading the document Ho handed over to them, their faces immediately froze. They took a deep breath and asked.

“Members of the parliament and the mayor of Seoul… Is this true? They are part of an anti-Hunter organization?”

“Unfortunately, it’s true.”

“What’s your purpose of doing this?”

Nothing much.

“I know that it’s the prosecutor’s job to execute what’s needed. Do your job. That’s why I’m giving you this.”

It was ironic that Lee Ho was the most confident person in this room. The two officials looked nervous, as if they were hiding something. Their attitudes were interesting to watch.

“You know that you must do as I say. These people need to be punished, as I have told you.”

It seems like he was crossing a line, but he was not. Ho was the type of man who was careful and deliberate in his actions.

“We have twenty more files, including both of your information as well. Although… I didn’t bring them here with me.”

Lee Ho then leaned back on the sofa.

He didn’t say it out loud, but he was quite surprised to discover that he could find clues in such a secure place. They were receiving money from an anti-Hunter organization so that they can hide spies on the inside.

“Both of you earned a lot of money from this, but I wonder if the process of procuring that money was appropriate.”

Lee Ho paused for a bit before continuing.

“Even if Hunter’s law and ordinary people’s laws are divided, they both have fundamental characteristics. You guys are toeing the line. I can keep you and your fellows safe, so do as I say.”

“…What if I don’t?”

The prosecutor general, Park Jeong-Hwan, spoke up defiantly. He didn’t like this situation. He thought that Lee Ho was crossing the line. In fact, he knew that Ho was not as clean as he was pretending to be.

“Lee Myeon-Seong was killed in a fall. That happened in your building. I have heard rumors that someone deliberately kicked him to murder him. What are you going to say about…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence because Ho had forced his mouth closed.

“What I have is clear evidence against you. What you have is just an assumption. Don’t you understand what’s happening here?”

However, Park Jeong-Hwan was not holding back.

“How about you, huh? How can you be so sure that the evidence you have is credible? Besides, I’m sure that Lee Myeon-Seong was murdered. It could have been you or your brother; it doesn’t matter. How dare you threaten people like us! Know your place! Even if people praise you as a hero, we are above you.”

The man next to him was silent. He knew that he shouldn’t fight back against Lee Ho.

With this, Lee Ho quietly pressed a button on his smartwatch to place a call. After a moment, someone’s voice rang out.

– How can I help? –

“Come in.”

That was the end of the call. Then the door opened, and a man strode in. It was the deputy prosecutor general, Hwang Seong-Yeon.

The two men were surprised to see him enter the room. Seong-Yeon walked in confidently and stood behind Lee Ho.

“Mr. Chief Secretary.”

“…Go on.”

“I like the scent of this tea.”

“Oh… Do you?”

“Also, I would like to ask you something. What do you think about the prosecutor general’s statement?”

The chief secretary, Yoo Tae-Hwan, glanced over at the prosecutor general beside him. He knew that he would be doomed if he followed the same path as Jeong-Hwan. He knew what Lee Ho would do.

“What you said was a brilliant idea. I’ll try to do as you say…”

Lee Ho’s next words were rather surprising.

“Mr. Hwang.”

“Yes, sir.”

The man behind him answered briskly.

“Be ready for your promotion. You will become prosecutor general.”

“I will.”

The situation was not what Jeong-Hwan was expecting, but his regret came late. It was no use now. That was how Lee Ho negotiates.

If he felt that someone could be helpful for him, he would always try to utilize them. What he did was use force so that he could control that person completely.

This was how his guild grew. Starting from a lowly PMC, his guild was now one of the largest companies in the world. Despite the changes in the economy of the world, that already was unbelievable growth.

This was the reason and the foundation behind Cheon-Myeong’s growth. They eliminated those who got in their way and persuaded those who could be useful. The chief secretary chose to be on Ho’s side, and the prosecutor general got in their way.

That was the difference between them.

Lee Ho slowly stood up.

“Well then, it’s settled. I’ll send you some more files about this.”

That was the end of their conversation. Ho was more than ready to go.

The room was silent for a moment until the chief secretary asked.

“The help request from China… Will you go?”

“Of course.”

“…Chinese unique skill holder, Lu Shao Wei will be there as well. Will you be okay?”

Lu Shao Wei. He was the second strongest Hunter in China and one of the few SS-rated Hunters in the world. His unique ability is to duplicate. He was a tough opponent, but that did not matter. He seemed to be related to an anti-Hunter organization, so there was no need to hold back.

Lee Ho laughed as he always did.

That was how he lived. This moment was just another example of how he worked.